ArcServe 2000/Win2k Server-Unreadable media

[corpanarchy]

Hi there,

We've been having this issue for a while....

We're attempting to use ArcServe 2000 in conjunction with a Dell Powervault tape magazine on Windows 2000 Server, SP2. A while back we started having issues where ArcServe would claim media was unreadable and not run the backup. Generally, this was fixed by rebooting the server.

Eventually it stopped working all together, we now get the error message "Please mount one of the following groups....." regardless of the tape type. 2000 backups stopped working as well.

This is what I've done:

1. Deleted duplicate copies of the Powervault in Removable Storage MMC

2. Attempted to manually assign media to ArcServe via RS in MMC (this so didn't work)

3. Changed the group properties for our daily backup job to *

4. Changed the job to allow writing over all types of tapes (regardless of media pool)

5. Disabled RSM service

6. Deleted and recreated jobs

7. Successfully ran various other types of jobs (mostly database pruning)

8. Ran the device diags on the Powervault provided by Dell. It seems to be working fine

9. Ran the Device Configuration utility in the ArcServe program folder, gave ArcServe control over Powervault.

10. Updated ArcServe as recommended by CA with C3073 patch.

And countless other things lost in the fold.

Dear god, someone please help me!!!

Kind Regards,
TC Henry

 

[jabus]

You did not mention if you have multiple drives in the PowerVault library, but if there are, make sure that the drives are in ABSL (Adapter/Bus/SCSI Target ID/LUN) order.

To check, open ARCserve Manager, and go to Device Manager. Expand the tape library in the left column, and note the Description in the lower-right pane. You will see something like Board:3;Bus:1;SCSI ID:4;LUN:0. That means your ABSL for the robot is 3140.

Now, select the first tape drive and note its ABSL (ie: 3141, etc.). Then check each additional ABSL for each drive going down the list. Make sure they are in numerical order (ie: 3141,3142,3150,3151).

If they are out of order (3142,3150,3151,3141), then you will get the Unreadable Media errors, as ARCserve is instructing the robot to insert a tape in ABSL:3142 (which AS thinks is the first drive), but the robot puts it in the second drive. When nothing is returned, then it marks the media as Unreadable.

If this is the case, then run Device Configuration and, on the Step 1 of 3 screen, move all the tapes list to the Available column, then select the top device in the Available column and choose Assign. You should then see the devices in ABSL order. And never use Auto-Config.

Hope this helps.

 

[ARCserveGuru]

Hmmm,
you should also make sure that absolutely nothing is accessing the drive at all! Make sure there are no NT drivers loaded, make sure the devices are disabled withing windows, etc.... Nothing should access the drive except ARCserve! Not even dells own config utility.

g

 

[ARCserveGuru]

Jabus,
I was under the impressionm ARCserve would only talk SCSI. In the above stated example if the pattern is mixed i.e. 3142,3150,3151,3141. ARCserve will say "put tape in drive 1 which is at 3142", the robot will hear "put tape into drive 3142" and as such there should be no problem. Am I missing something here? I am just trying to understand it a little clearer.

g

 

[jabus]

Our experience with Unreadable Media errors happening on known good tapes has always been corrected by verifying the ABSL order. I would think it would only talk SCSI as well, but for some reason, this problem is corrected by this solution.

We are using Fibre Channel to SCSI bridges/routers for out libraries, so that could potentially play a part in this scenario as well.